In recent years, more and more individuals and employees work in close proximity. The close quarters of many office environments result from increasing expenses, lack of available office space, expanding business, and desired proximity of employees for purposes of efficiency. Cubicle- and open-office type settings are particularly prevalent because of the perceived efficient usage of space that allows a large number of people to work in close proximity to one another.
Although cubicles may be used to efficiently exploit available office space, cubicles lack privacy, allowing conversations, speech, and other information, to be easily overheard by others within the office. Hearing others' conversations or noise generated by others or their office equipment may be distracting or prohibitive while working, on the phone, or carrying on one's own conversation. Some users feel uncomfortable carrying on a conversation in public because they prefer privacy for sharing personal, business, or other information. As a result, working in a similar office environment may be frustrating and inconvenient.